Museum to host Archaeology Day

Saturday, Sept. 20, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Louisiana State Exhibit Museum (LSEM) will be the place to be if you dig archaeology.

The Louisiana Archeology Association NWLA Chapter’s 10th Annual Archeology Day will be the site for rockhounds, history buffs, artifact hunters and just about anyone to see and learn about the people, places and tools of Louisiana.

According to Nita Cole, education consultant and archivist of the LSEM, archaeologists and educators will be on hand with demonstrations and activities for the whole family to enjoy.

Scheduled for the event will be over 40 professionals demonstrating various Native American skills such as pottery making, flint knapping — the craft of shaping stone to make tools, etc. — basket weaving and more.

The free event will also offer free parking on the State Fair side of the museum. You’ll see the food trucks parked there to help you find the right place. All the displays and demonstrations will be at the museum’s south entrance.

Del Glasner from the ArkLaTex Gem & Mineral Society will be on hand with a mineral display. The Chippolattas will be there, flint knapping to give you a firsthand view of tool making.

Mark Brink, the park manager of Poverty Point, will be there to teach attendees how to throw a spear with an atlatl, a device they used before taking up the more familiar bow and arrow.

Marty Young of the Pioneer Heritage Center at LSU-Shreveport will be giving a demonstration on blacksmithing. “He makes all sorts of interesting things,” Cole added, “like barbecue skewers or things to hang your keys on.”

The Bossier History Center will have Caddoan replica tools and explain how they were used.

Curtis Bias is the pottery instructor at Caddo Magnet High, and “he will bring 12 of his students showing you how to make a coil pot.” Cole added, while primarily aimed at younger inquisitive minds, the displays are sure to capture the interest of a wide range of ages. “What we tend to get are extended families, grandparents, parents, elementary school kids and strollers.

Everybody comes.”

If you have artifacts that you’ve discovered on your adventures, Cole said there will be five professional archeologists who will be on hand to help you identify what you’ve found. “A lot of times, people bring in a lot of nice points and tools. They will teach you how to make drawings of your find. We try to encourage people, if they do find something that is an actual Indian artifact, to take a GPS reading so you know where it was.” She said the exact location helps with correctly dating and identifying the artifact.

Geraldine Zelinsky from the NWLA Basket Makers group will be showing attendees how it’s done. Cole commented that until you see it, it’s hard to appreciate the skill that goes into the craft.

There will also be a mock dig and a how-to for documenting your finds.

The event will also mark the opening of a new exhibit for the museum, according to Cole. The new paleontology exhibit will feature a life-sized cast of the skull and jaw of a Basilosaurus, and this one may be a Cajun. It was discovered at Montgomery Landing on the Red River in Grant Parish. The exhibit will be on loan from SciPort Discover Center. The ancient animals were whale-like mammals that sailed the ancient seas about 50 million years ago. They were the earliest known mammals to have existed after the dinosaurs became extinct.

The museum is located at 3015 Greenwood Road. You’re asked to park at the State Fairgrounds parking lot on Pershing Drive. LSEM Friends will provide two food trucks in this area, and picnic tables will be under the oak trees.

The Louisiana State Exhibit Museum is under the direction of Secretary of State Nancy Landry. For more information about LSEM, go to www.laexhibitmuseum.org, and for the Secretary of State’s Museums Program, please visit https://www.sos.la.gov/museums

The NWLA Basket Makers group will demonstrate their craft.